Attachment for barber chairs



Aug. 9, 1932. R. P. RALSTON ATTACHMENT FOR BARBER CHAIRS Filed June 2, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1932. R. P. RALSTON 1,370,747

ATTACHMENT FOR BARBER CHAIRS Filed June 2, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 abhomwq Patented Aug. 9, 1932 r TEN ROBERT P. RALSTON, OF NEW CONCORD, OHIO ATTACHMENT FOR BARBER CHAIRS Application filed June 2, 1931. Serial No. 541,641.

This invention is directed to an improved attachment designed particularly for use in connection with barbers chairs and serviceable in providing a convenient means whereby the attendant may adjust the height of the usual cushion selectively with respect toithe frame of the chair in order to conveniently adapt the chair for use with persons of short stature or children.

The conventional barber'chair. is provided with means by which the chair as a whole may be elevated in order that the operations of the barber may be convenient. Ordinari- 1y, however, the seat cushion of the chair is at a fixed height from the top of the back of the chair, and where adults of short stature or children are to occupy the chair, the seat cushion is usually supplied with additional cushions or, .in the case of children, aboard is ordinarily placed across the arms of the chair to serve as a seat for the child. 7 Both of these methods which are ordinarily employed are inconvenient, and the use of the board for a child is also a distinct disadvantage because under these circumstances the feet of the child rest on the usual seat cushion of the chair, tending to mar the surface of the cushion, to say nothing of the unsanitary condition resulting from accumu lations on the shoes being transferred to the cushion.

Ordinarily, the chair is designed for. us with adults of different stature, and as it is desirable that the operations to be performed by the barber must be at a convenient height, attempt has been made to equalize in meas-' ure the use of the chair and compensate for the different heights of the individuals by moving the chair as a whole. However, where the adult is very short-waisted and his head does not extend above the back of the.

chair in the ordinary position of the cushion, or in the case of a child, additional and extraneous means are ordinarily employed to compensate for the difierence in height.

The present invention aims to overcome the inconveniences and disadvantages of these extraneous additions to the chair by providing means convenient to the barber by which the seat of the chair may be elevated to varying heights with respect to the back so that the seat may be instantly adjusted after the occupant is in the chair in order to position the occupant in proper relation with the back of the chair and in the most convenient position for the manipulations of the barber.

The invention further contemplates the provision of the seat adjusting means as a unit accessory inherently applied in itself and capable of being attached to the chair without change or marring of the latter and through the use of a simple bolt connection, with the unit parts so arranged that when the attachment is applied it is immediately available to adjust the seat cushion to vary-- ing heights through the simple manipulation of a single lever.

The invention also contemplates a means by which the seat may be locked at any desired height of adjustment, with the looking means controlled directly by the lever through which the seat is adjusted, and said locking means manipulated either for locking or release by a relative movement of the lever without the necessity of releasing the pressure thereon necessary to temporarily hold the seat at the desired height adjustment during the locking operation.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of the chair equipped with the improved attachment.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the same, the chair frame being shown in section and the seat elevated relative to such frame.

Figure 3 is a perspective View showing one bracket of the unitary attachment, the shaft being omitted and the relations of the locking parts illustrated.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the lever terminal illustrating the means for operating the locking bar.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the locking bar.

Figure 6 is a sectional detail illustrating the operation of the lockingbar.

Figure 7 is a sectional detail illustrating the means for, securing the terminal of the elevating cable to the shaft-carried cable wheel.

The present improvement is directed to a unitary structure complete in itself, designed to be removably connected to a barbers chair without any change whatever in the latter in order that the capability of vertically adj usting the cushion independently of the chain may be incorporated in any chair of the type in a simple, expeditious manner.

The construction involves spaced supports 1 and 2 of identical construction formed as hollow guides 3. The supports are preferably constructed of sheet metal or the like of sufficient strength bent into channel form, with the upper end constructed as a lateral flange 1 which is of a width to extend'outwardly from the support and of a length to extend in both directions beyond the support. This flange is formed with a plurality of elongated openings 5 arranged for the connection of the structure of the chair, as will later appear.

The supports 1 and 2 are integrally formed with rearwardly projecting ears 6, in'which beyond the supportproper are formed-openings 7 to rotatably support a-shaft 8. The

shaft extends between the supports, and be yond each, and on the shaft adjacent each support is arrangeda peripherally grooved Wheel 9, the elongated hubs 10 of which are fixed on the shaft bymeans of set screws 11, thus serving to space the supports apart, with each wheel arranged in a plane parallel to the support and immediately adjacent the same. A collar 12 is removably secured to the shaft 8 beyond one of the ears 6' relative tothe wheel 9, the opposite end of the shaft being provided with the shaft operating and locking means to be later described; 7

Slidably mounted in the support 1, or more particularly lIhthB guide formation of that support, is a bar 13 hereinafter referred to asthe cushion-carryingbar, which bar accurately fits the channel ofthe guidesupport so that it may freely slide vertically in its support without other play. The upper end, of each cushion supportingbar has alateral flange 14 designed to be reniovably secured to the cushion 15 of the chair, theflange 1% extending in a direction opposite to the flange 4 of the, guide support, clearly shoWn in Figure 2.

The lower end of each cushionsupporting bar 13 has a lateral flange 16 which under lies the adjacent wheel 9 and'a cable 1'? connects the flange 16 withthe immediately overlying wheel 9. The cable may be in the form of a wire section terminally threaded and held by a nut 18 beyond the flange 16, the opposite end ofthe cable being carried around the periphery of the wheel 9 and its terminal passed through an eye 19' drawn downwardlyinto the peripheralgroove of the wheel by a nut 20, thus effectively securing the end of the cable tothe wheel while permitting its ready release or take-up for adjustment, as may be desired.

The conventional barbers' chair is provided with means by which it may be bodily elevated with respect to its base through a handle within convenient reach of the barber, and it is contemplated that the improved seat cushion elevating means be designed for operation by a somewhat similar handle convenient to thebarber, both for operation and locki'n controh'so that the barber, after havin ad usted the chair as a whole to a w b L.. convenient height, may, after the customer is on the seat cushion, adjust the latter to 7 releasing the lock can at the same time resist a too rapid movement of the cushion under the customers weight. This necessitates in effect, in order that the barber may conveniently handle the matter, that both the seat moving control and locking and releasing'means be governed through the operation of a single lever or with vone hand of the barber. L

The present invention is designed with this purpose in View, and to provide for such result a locking disk 21 centrally formed with an opening 22 to fit over the end of the shaft 8 is arranged on that shaft immediately beyond'one of the ears 6 and is fixed with relation to thatea'r by fastening means passing through registering openings 23 in the disk and ear. The disk 21 has an outwardly offset, concentric portion 2 1 of relatively reduced diameter, and in the periphery of the latter portion are formed a seriesof radially disposed, axially arranged slots 25. These slotsopen throughthe periphery ofthe portion'24 and align with openings in the disk proper,as shown in Figure 3. Fixed upon the shaft immediately beyond the disk 21 is a sleeve 26 'having a lateral offset 27 at one end, theopposite end being formed with an ear 28. The sleeve 26 is formed with an axial opening 29 through which the sleeve is arranged on the shaft 8, the sleeve being secured with respectto the shaft in any appropriate way which will permit convenient separation. I P V Arranged in the sleeve 26 in parallelism to the shaft 8 and in a plane substantially coincident with the periphery of the shaft is a lock bolt 30 mounted for free sliding movement in an opening 31 formed in the ofthis opening beingsuch that theoperative end 3310f, the locking bolt registers with the plane of the recesses in the disk 21. A

hand lever 34 passes through an extension 35 of the sleeve offset 27, this hand lever being r-otatablyv mounted with respect'tothe offset and being held against movement in one direction by a collar 36 pinned to the lever. The inner end of the lever terminates insan enlarged recess 37 in thesleeve enlargement 27, the margin of this enlargement including the edge of the opening 31 so that one face of the locking pin 30 is exposed in the enlargement 37. The lower end of the lever 34 is provided with a light gear wheel 38, and the adjacent face of the lock pin 30 is formed with a series of teeth 89, the relation of the parts being such that the gear 38 in cooperation with the teeth 39 of the lock )in 30 may move the locking pin longitudinally in either direction by appropriate rotation of the hand lever. The recess 37 may be closed by a removable plug 37a. The hand lever 34 extends upwardly from the sleeve extension 27 and is terminally provided with any appropriate form of hand grip 40 for convenience of the barber.

The attachment as a whole is secured to the frame 41 of the barbers chair without change in the latter by bolts 42 passing through the openings 5 in the flange 4 of the guide supports beneath that flange of the frame on which the seat cushion 15 ordinarily rests. In

this position, the flanges 14 of the cushioncarrying bars 13 underlie the cushion and, if desired, screws 43 may be passed through the flanges 14 into the cushion. By this means,

:the entire unitary structure is not only secured to the chair but arranged in appropriate position thereon, it being understood that when thus arranged the shaft 8 extends transversely of the chair in rear of the same and more or less beneath the skirt of the frame, the entire device being arranged at the rear portion of the chair.

In raising the cushion, the barber moves the lever 34 in the desired direction by turning the wheels 9 and shortening the cables 17 between such wheels and flanges 16 of the seat-carrying bars 13 and moving the latter upwardly. This raises the cushion, and when the latter has been moved to the appropriate i? height, the barber simply turns the lever 34,

causing the gear 38 to move the locking bolt 30 into the appropriately aligned channel 25 of the disk 31 and the seat is locked in its elevated position. \Vhen desiring to lower the seat, the barber turns the hand lever in the opposite direction, withdrawing the locking bolt, and without releasing, the resisting pull 011 the handle permits the seat to gradually lower to the normal position. Obviously,

" through the provision of a series of locking channels, the seat cushion may be locked at a ;v plurality of elevations and securely held therein during the barber operations.

The salient feature of the present inven tion is the utilization of the entire structure asa unit accessory which may be sold to the barber shop already equipped with conventional chairs and readily and conveniently applied to permit the barber to have at his command a means by which the seat cushion" may be adjusted, when necessary, to suit the requirements of the particular customer. The elongated openings 5 permit some variationin the fitting as may benecessary in different chairs. v

- This application is filed as a continuation in partof my application filed October 23, 1930, Serial' tt49O,8O3.

. Iclaimz- 1. A unitary attachment for barber chairs including guide supports having flanges for removably securing the same to the chair frame, cushion-carrying bars slidable in said supports and designed to be secured to the seat cushion of the chair, a shaft carried by the supports, wheels on the shaft, a cable con.- nection between said wheels and the lower ends of the seat-carrying bars, a sleeve fixed on one end of theshaft, a handle lever rotatably mounted-in the sleeve and extending at right angles therefrom, alocking element for holding'the shaft in fixed relation to the cent guide support, and means operated by the rotative movement ofthe handle lever for operating the locking element.

2. A; unitary attachment for conventional barber chairs including guide supportshaving chair-engaging flanges at their upper ends, cushion-carrying bars slidable in said supports designed to underlie the seat cushion.

of the chair, a shaft mounted in the supports,

peripherally grooved rollers arranged on the shaft, cable connections between each of said rollers and the lower ends of the seat cushion carrying bars, a disk arranged on the shaft immediately beyond one of the supports, means for securing the disk relative to the support, said disk being formed with a pluports formed at their upper ends with lateral flanges to provide forsecuring'the supports to the frame of the chair, seat cushion carrying bars slidable in said supports and" underlying the seat cushion of the chair-,a shaft; rotatable insaid supports, wheels fixed;

on the shaft, cable connections between said wheels and the lower ends of the seat cushion carrying bars, a disk fixed to one of the supports and mounted on the shaft, said disk begear, whereby to move said bolt to engage a selected channel in the disk to lock the seat in elevated position. I

4. A unitary attachment for conventional barber chairs including spaced guide supports.

formed at their upper ends with lateral flanges to provide for securing the supports ing bars slidable in said supports and underlying the seat cushion of the chair, a shaft rotatable in said supports, wheels fixed on the shaft, cable connections between said wheels and the lower ends of the seat cushion carrying bars, a disk fixed to one of the supports and mounted on the shaft, said disk being formed with a plurality of concentrically disposed locking channels, a sleeve secured to the shaft beyond the disk and formed with a lateral offset, a hand lever rotatably mounted in the offset, the lower end of the lever terminating within a recess in the ofiset, a gear carried by the lever within said recess, a locking bolt, means on said bolt meshing with said gear, whereby to move said bolt to engage a selected channel in the disk to'lockthe seat in elevated position, the sleeve being channeled to guide the locking bolt intermediate the offset and disk.

5. A unitary seat adjusting mechanism for barber chairs comprising guide supports designed to be removably secured to the chair frame, side carrying bars slidably mounted in the guide supports, a shaft mountedin the guide supports, means connecting the'shaft and side carrying bars to permit the latter" to be moved relative to the supports in the rotation of the shaft, a lever, means mounting the lever on the shaft for turning the latter, said means having provision for rotating said lever on its longitudinal axis for turning the shaft, and means for locking the shaft in any desired rotative position operated by the said longitudinal rotation of the lever.

6. A means for independently elevating the seat cushion of a barbers chair comprising a unitary structure including brackets having undercut, vertically ranging guideways, a shaft mounted in the brackets, rollers carried by the shaft, cables passed about the rollers and depending below the same, means on one' end of the shaft for turning the same, cooperatingmeans carried by one of thebrackets and to the frame of the chair, seat cushion carrysignature.

the shaft for holding the shaft in any desired 7 V 

